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Why we love it: A wellness-centric resort with a luxury spa for the adults and multiple pools for the kids

The Highlights:
- An authentic Ayurveda Center for balancing spa treatments
- Three outdoor pools, two indoor pools, and a Jacuzzi
- Six on-site dining and drinking destinations to please the whole family

The Review:
Surrounded by more than seven acres of greenery on the small island of Gozo, this wellness-focused resort offers the ultimate escape from larger, busier Malta. The five-star hotel has 140 rooms and suites, multiple indoor and outdoor pools, and six restaurants and bars, though the highlight is most definitely the spa, which comprises one of the largest Ayurvedic centers in the Mediterranean. Here, guests can indulge in a variety of Eastern and Western treatments, take complimentary yoga classes multiple times a week, or simply make use of the facilities, which include two indoor heated pools, a Jacuzzi, relaxation areas, and a steam chamber.

Standard and deluxe rooms offer ample space to spread out with seating areas, balconies, and marble bathrooms, while suites take things to the next level with sweeping views of the hillside or pools. If you’re traveling with a group, spring for the two-bedroom family suite, which even includes a kitchenette and dining area. Across all the guestrooms, design is traditional with modern accents, making for a stylish stay.

Why we love it: A conveniently located stay that’s perfect for families visiting Dollywood

The Highlights:
- A family-first design, including some rooms with bunk beds
- Perks like discounted tickets and a free shuttle to Dollywood
- Two on-site pools with views of the Smoky Mountains

The Review:
When Dolly Parton came up with the idea for her DreamMore Resort, she was hoping to create a “front porch” for Dollywood, a place where families could relax and share time together after a day of fun at the park. To that end, almost every detail of the property is designed with families in mind, including 11 different guest room configurations with amenities like bunk beds and adjoining doors. The resort also offers discounted passes and a free shuttle to the theme park.

An expansive pool area features waterfalls, a splash pad, and more placid areas for adults, all within view of the stunning mountains that surround the resort. For when parents need a break, there’s also a luxurious salon and spa with treatments designed to relax and rejuvenate. The food and beverage offerings at DreamMore aren’t fancy, but they offer good value for families, including an ample buffet at Song & Hearth and grab-and-go fare at DM Pantry. After the kids have gone to bed, end your day with a nightcap in The Lounge, which serves Southern-inspired cocktails in an old-timey ambience.

This Palm Beach resort lets type A vacationers make the most of every minute of their trip. For adults, the jam-packed roster of activities ranges from cardio kickboxing and archery to salsa workshops and lessons on how to make your own aloe scrub. Another grown-up perk: every 50-minute spa treatment and dinner for two comes with complimentary child care. Meanwhile, the ShocoLand kids club keeps tykes busy during the day with water-balloon races and seashell painting. Have a little down time? The 355 rooms were renovated in late 2016, and now have an airy, modern feel; each also has its own private balcony or patio ideal for enjoying island breezes. For those happy to while away the hours near the water, chaise longues surround two palm-fringed pools, and plenty of beachside palapas sit just steps from the sea.

A stay at this resort offers the best of many worlds: easy access to San Antonio and its airport, proximity to scenic Hill Country and its wineries, and plenty of on-site amenities to encourage you to hang around. Spread over 600 acres, the property includes an 18-hole golf course, a nine-acre water park (with a winding lazy river and 650-foot rapid river ride), hiking trails, and a 30-room spa, where treatments incorporate Texas-grown ingredients like lavender and sassafras. The facilities fan out from the LEED-certified main building, which houses 1,000 warm, comfortable guestrooms, many of which look out onto the main pool. There are also enough restaurants to warrant a multi-day stay, from an organic-focused spa bistro and a sports bar with local brews, to a Texas-inspired main restaurant and a fine-dining steakhouse set among the golf greens. Each spot uses ingredients sourced within a 150-mile radius of the hotel, and aims to highlight Texas wine and beer. While the kids are off enjoying the water park or video game arcade, adults can take a tequila tasting class or settle into a rocking chair with a good book—then everyone can meet around the indoor or outdoor fireplaces to trade stories.

Near the northern end of Andros Island, about 15 minutes by air from Nassau, remote Kamalame Cay is worth the effort it takes to get there. The 96-acre private island features 34 rustic-chic rooms and suites, all within steps of a white-sand beach, as well as a central Great House where guests come together to sip wine before dinner and share stories afterward (of course, many opt for a secluded, candlelit meal set up somewhere along the three miles of shoreline). A range of seaside activities keep everyone from the kids to newlyweds to the occasional celebrity happy. There’s a freshwater swimming pool, an over-water spa, world-class fishing off the coast, and entertainment by local “rake-and-scrape” bands. And for those who live in fear of being unplugged, relax. Kamalame Cay offers hotspots around the island for full cell service (if you want it) and Wi-Fi in the reception area.

This Scottsdale megaresort opened in 1988 as an Americanized vision of European style, which explains the white marble in the lobby, the mother-of-pearl tiles lining one of the pools, and the 11 Steinway pianos (including one in each of the four presidential suites). Over the years, though, the Phoenician has melded with its surroundings to become one of the classic Arizona desert hotel experiences. The 27-hole golf course, the 11 tennis courts, the eight pools (one with a 165-foot waterslide), the spa, the hiking, and the alfresco dining all make it the kind of place people contemplate when they find themselves looking at a closet full of winter coats and scarves. The rooms are spacious, with large Italian marble bathrooms, and have a private terrace or balcony. The service is tip-top, and the kids’ club even features a Bunny Hoppy Hour. Recent renovations updated the hotel’s public spaces, including the lobby, restaurants, pool area, and spa.

The name of this park, which alludes to going barefoot, is both description and invitation. Take off your shoes and tread among nature’s sublime textures in the park’s sandpits, Zen garden, fountains, and leafy grasses. You’ll also find a bamboo forest and an interactive science museum, but the biggest attraction is people-watching: children splashing in fountains, teens pitching woo, everyone soaking up the sun. A guided (barefoot) park tour offers insight into its history as part of a citywide renovation program.

Take it from a local: If you’re looking to bond with the locals and enjoy some simple fare with lots of taste, drive down to Williche. The family-owned sandwich shop in a street corner in Cabo Rojo is just a block from the town square and a fifteen-minute drive from a couple of beaches.


Williche, a small building with pictures of old Cabo Rojo and slogans proclaiming a love for Puerto Rico, serves you cafeteria-style. It offers juices, different kinds of sandwiches, and milkshakes that are just the right amount of dense. My mom and grandparents started taking me there when I was a kid and I’ve been enjoying their bocadillos ever since. You would expect little (seeing as how they’re basically bread, ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and ketchup), but that makes their immense flavor all the more satisfying.


I’ve been living outside of P.R. for more than six years, but every time I come home, I ask my family to stroll down with me by the dominoes-playing older men and to Williche. It’s almost always packed, but I and everyone else know the woman behind the counter (the founder’s daughter). It means we can talk and laugh with her, and get to know anyone else who happens to wander in.


Forget Olive Garden. When you’re in Williche, you’re family.

Set halfway between the old town and “newer” neighborhoods like Ville Nouvelle, this 40-acre urban resort perfectly marries historic details with cosmopolitan style. Surrounded by views of the Atlas Mountains, it features a collection of low-slung buildings, set around Moorish-style gardens and two glittering swimming pools (one is family-friendly with integrated whirlpools, while the other is 131 feet long and only for adults). Other amenities include clay tennis courts, dedicated programming for both kids and teens, and a gorgeous spa for Moroccan hammam rituals and nourishing argan-oil massages.

Catering to all types of travelers, the 139 accommodations range from spacious rooms in the main building to standalone pavilions, one-bedroom suites, private-pool suites, and villas with two or four bedrooms. All feature contemporary décor, handcrafted Moroccan accents, marble bathrooms, modern conveniences, and terraces or patios with views of the gardens or mountains. The poolside Azzera restaurant serves everything from flame-grilled meats to Thai papaya salads for lunch, while the romantic Inara lounge features cocktails and Moroccan cuisine made with herbs and spices from the resort’s gardens. Also on-site is Quattro, which serves a buffet breakfast in the morning, then morphs into an elegant Southern Italian eatery for dinner.

Vacationing families and travelers looking to mix a little pleasure with their business will find plenty to love at the Four Seasons, which occupies 24 floors of a 45-story skyscraper downtown. First, there’s the location—across the street from the performing arts complex, a few blocks from the convention center, and next to the restaurants and shops around historic Larimer Square. But there’s more than enough to keep you on-property: Adjust to the altitude with a gemstone massage and deep-tissue treatment using local evergreen oils at the spa; practice laps in the heated saltwater pool; dine on meat sourced from Colorado ranches and grilled in a pecan-wood oven at EDGE steakhouse; or simply cozy up in a leather armchair by the double-sided fireplace in the lobby. Spacious guest rooms are decorated in tasteful neutrals with stone accent walls and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline or nearby mountains; bathrooms have separate soaking tubs and in-mirror TV screens, and the hotel can provide humidifiers and air ionizers to combat Denver’s dry air. Kids can expect their own tailored amenities, from child-sized bathrobes to in-room tents.

The W Santiago is where the cool kids stay. Which other hotel would dare to have a sign reading “WHATEVER” at the entrance? Since opening in 2009, the hotel has earned a strong following, both from locals and visitors. Dimly lit with a color scheme of purples, greens, and black, the rooms are modern, with full-length windows overlooking the city. Located in Santiago’s financial district, officially known as El Golf, the W is part of a large skyscraper (hotel reception is on the fourth floor) filled with restaurants and shops. The 196 rooms reach to the 21st floor, and the W has arguably the best roof terrace in town (Hotel Noi Vitacura being a close contender). The roof terrace has an infinity pool, knockout city views, and a heli-pad for those who want to whiz off to wine country or hit the ski slopes in speedy style.

A 600-suite hotel within a hotel, The Cove is the most luxurious of the room towers at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort. Kids aren’t banned, but the vibe is definitely grown-up—witness the adults-only Cove Pool, with its DJ-driven party scene, outdoor gaming tables, and mating-ritual pool wear. But there’s a sense of sophistication in the two-story lobby, which soars above ponds of water lilies, as well as the suites, which have balconies with ocean views, sunken living rooms, and marble-floored bathrooms. All the activities of Atlantis, including those that make adults feel young again—such as the Abyss and Leap of Faith waterslides, or the dolphin encounters—are only steps or a free shuttle ride away. Also available is immersive programming that connects guests to the rich history, art, people, food, and festivities of the islands, from exhibits showcasing regional artists and a weekly Junkanoo Fest & Feast (honoring a more than 500-year-old tradition) to five new outposts of beloved local Bahamian restaurants.

The Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand‘s North Island features many excellent vineyard restaurants, but Elephant Hill certainly enjoys the area’s most spectacular location. Facing the Pacific Ocean on the Te Awanga coast, it boasts stellar views of the nearby Cape Kidnappers to complement its superb bistro menu. Secure a table on the expansive deck of Elephant Hill’s über-modern building, and try its wines made from sustainably grown fruit alongside seasonal plates that regularly include local seafood, venison, duck, and lamb. Some outstanding Elephant Hill wines forging an international reputation include its Reserve blend of merlot, malbec, and cabernet sauvignon grapes, and a superb chardonnay that is an ideal match for fine-dining dishes in the Southern Hemisphere summertime.

The mallorca (“my-your-cuh”) is the iconic Puerto Rican sandwich that’s typically eaten at breakfast, washed down with a cup of coffee. When I was in Old San Juan, I had more than my fair share at Cafeteria Mallorca. The mallorca is a soft, buttery bun that’s classically sliced in half, both sides generously buttered and then the sandwich is pressed between the hot steel plates of a griddle. Before serving, it’s generously dusted with powdered sugar. Oh yum! How can you go wrong with butter and sugar? It took me one bite to get hooked and before you know it, I had ordered another one but this time – jamon y queso….ham and cheese. It too came with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Ham, cheese, sugar. I know, it sounds like an odd combination but don’t knock it til you try it because it’s good, so good, it’s addictive! The bread was slightly crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. The mallorca was warm, buttery, sweet and savory, every bite made my tastebuds sing with joy! If you decide that mallorcas are not your cup of tea, the menu also offers up eggs, pancakes and cereal along with coffee, tea and juices. Conveniently located in the heart of Old San Juan, Cafeteria Mallorca is a homey and unpretentious place that’s a throwback to the simple cafeterias of days gone by. Great place to bring the kids!

With its chill vibe, funky decor, warehouse-like interior and spacious terrace, Pacific Parc is a rock ‘n’ roll bistro with an edge. Situated in a former treatment plant at Westergasfabriek, the café-nightclub on Amsterdam‘s west side clearly represents its mantra, “Do not beg for the right to live, take it.” Life is good over international favorites like satay with coconut-peanut sauce, Indian lentil curry, Black Angus burgers and Dutch pannenkoeken, all priced under €20 on lunch and dinner menus. For kids, chicken drumsticks, chips, cucumber and ice cream are on a children’s menu for €8. While little ones romp on the spiral staircase, you can dine at the bar or at wooden tables in the open-zoned dining area, under a whimsical chandelier hanging from the sunroof. If you’re attending a Westergasfabriek event, Pacific Parc is a great place to meet up with friends. But there’s more to this place than relaxed ambiance, good drinks, reasonably priced fare and a menu based on seasonal ingredients. Thursday through Saturday, DJs mix hip-hop with disco and swing tunes. By 23:00, dinner seats are pushed aside and anyone who sticks around may be in for a wild night. A special “Dinner and a Movie” deal entitles you to a flick at Ketelhuis, Westergasfabriek’s cinema, plus a starter and main course (excluding drinks) at Pacific Parc for €25. While the restaurant may lack for romance, it’s a fine place to get your weekend date off to a savory start.